Turid Knaak changes from SGS Essen to Atlético Madrid

After Lena Oberdorf (VfL Wolfsburg), Lea Schüller and Marina Hegering (both FC Bayern), Turid Knaak is the fourth international of the cup finalist SGS Essen to sign with a top club. The offensive player changes to Atlético, Knaak signed a contract in Madrid until 2021.

The short term of the contract should be related to her second career. Knaak was until recently a research assistant at the University of Cologne, where she is writing her doctoral thesis in the special education department. Knaak will now have to neglect this area of ​​her life a bit, because at Atlético she will become a professional and there is an intense year ahead.

“I’m happy and excited. The way the club convinced and welcomed me was great. I’m very ambitious and I want to win titles with Atlético,” said 14-time international Knaak.

Atlético is one of the top Spanish clubs and also wants to attack in Europe. The Spanish champions from 2017 to 2019 signed Knaak, goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl (Wolfsburg) and Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Arsenal), as well as defenders Merel van Dongen (Betis Sevilla) and Alia Guagni (Florence). Thanks to a special Uefa rule that allows six players to register for the Champions League, the five internationals can hope to be able to attend the final tournament in Bilbao and San Sebastián at the end of August.

Atlético meets FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals, and a duel with Wolfsburg could occur in the semifinals. In the coming season, the team led by Captain Amanda Sampedro want to replace Barcelona as champions again and play for the title again in the last Champions League season without a group phase. With Knaak, for whom it is the second stop outside of Germany after a short engagement at Arsenal 2014.